Variable-width plow



Oct. 27, 1931. J. P. SEAHOLM VARIABLE WIDTH PLOW Filed Oct. 5. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l 0 1 I, i. in 1 a: m

Oct. 27, 1931. J SEAHOLM 1,829,545

VARIABLE WIDTH PLOW Filed Oct. 5, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 27, 1931. is, E HOLM 1,829,545

VARIABLE WIDTH PLOW 7 Filed Oct. 5. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 27, 1931 PATENT ()F'FIC E JOHN P. SEAHOLM; 0E MOIIINE; ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTOMINNEAPOLIS-MOLINE POWER IMPLEMENT'GOM-PANY; OF MOLINE, ILLINUIS, A. CDEPORATEION OF DELAWARE VARIABLE-WIDTH PL'OW Application-filed October 5, 1928: SeriaINb. 397,598.

This invention relates to avariable-width plow. It iszpa-rticularly applicable to a plow having two or more plow bodies, usually called agang'plow ,,b.ut it is-notconfined-in 5 its application to gang plows,- being useful with'other kinds of plows as-well.

Gang plows, particularly. those of the tractor-type, such asillustrated in Boda Patent No. 1,669,037, are provided with. two or more beams that are spaced a fixed distance apart, the. distance depending upon the size of the plow bodies that are attached directl'Ly'to-thebeams. If 10-inch plow bodies are to be attached to the beams the beams are spaced the proper distance apart to enable the'two l0-inch plow bodies; to operate together to takeaQO-inch cut. If 14, 16, or 18-inch plow bodies areto be used, the beams are spaced distances: apart a corresponding to the size of the plow bodiesused, each. plow havinga lined width of cut. The spacing of the beams is determined at the factory and thebeams are rigidly assembled together so that after the plowisbuilt no adjustment of 5 the spacing-ofthe beams is possible.

About titty percent ot the" oil and gas consumed by atractor. used for plowing is used'in transporting-the tractor itself which makes it evident that, for the most economica-l consumptionof fuelandoihthe mileage of thetractor should be reduced to the minimum by always loading the tractor to. its fullest plowing. capacity. However, this plowing capacity varies with the nature. of the a soil, the condition of the soil'at time ofplowing, the contour of the field being plowed, etc. For some fields a farmers tractor may be able to pull only a plow taking a'twentyinch cutwhile in otherfield's or at a di-flerent time of year the tractor may be able to pull a plow taking a forty-two inch cut or some Width of cut/ between twenty and forty-two inches.

With the ordinary gang. plow no substantialva-riationin width of cutcan beobt-ained.

5151" a different plow, namely, one having, its

beams spaced apart the proper distance for the width of plow bodies necessary for the desiredwidthof cut. This requires that, in order to. be equipped to use his tractor at maximum plowingcapacity under all conditions, he must have a variety of plows on hand which means a duplication of plow beams. ground wheels, lifting mechanism, draftstructure and adjusting levers, a duplication that is expcnsive and economically wasteful.

he present invention is directed to a solution of this above problem.

A more particular object is to provide a plow to which a variety of widths of plow bodiesmay be attached for taking different widths. of cut.

Other'objects andadvantages of the invention will appear from the following specifica tion and drawings.

An-embodiment of the invention is shown Fig. 7 is aperspective View of the connect- 1:.

ing piece shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views showing various connections of the plow bodies to the plow beams in a three-body plow.

Figs. 11' to 20, inclusive,vare diagrammatic illustrations of various combinations of plow bodies with a pair of plow beams for obtain ing different widths of furrows.

Inasmuch as the lifting mechanism, the adjustments, the draft connections and portions of the beam structure are well known in the art and are described in anumber of patents these constructions will be described only briefly here.

The plow includes two plow beams 1 and 2 connected together by a rear brace 3. The beams 1 and 2 are made of rectangular metal bars having their greatest width in vertical planes as'clearly appears in Fig. 1, .the assembly of the beam structure being illustrated and described in detail'in Bradley Patent No. 1,542,364 to which reference is made.

Thebeam structure; is supported by two crank axles 4: and 5 on which are journaled the respective ground wheels 6 and 7. The plow is raised and lowered by a mechanical power lift 8 operated by rotation of one of the ground wheels and controlled by a lever 9 through a link 10 and a hand lever 11. The details of this lifting mechanism are dis closed in Boda patent referred to. i The crankaxles 4 and 5 may be adjusted to various positions through the medium of hand levers 12 and 13, the connections con trolled by these levers and the cooperation of the levers with the lifting mechanism being also describedin said Boda patent.

The plow is adapted to be connected to a tractor through the medium of a hitch bar 14 having an adjustable connection 1'5 which "acts in cooperation with the power lift mechanism inthe raising of the plow as described in Bo'da'Patent'No. 1,603,019.

"Ksshown in BodaPatent No. 1,669,037,

the usual practice is to bend the rear ends of the plow beams downwardly andto attach "the'plow bodies'directly to them. The great est strain on the beams is usually atthe bends where there is not only a straintending to struction-such as a'hidden stump or rock, a

'very'great strain; will result owing to the force with which the plow is being drawn forward. 7

beams brok en,that is, made in more'thanone piece with a 'jointbetweenthe parts. 'The reason for this is that the strains are such that the joints will not usually hold up and "still be such that they can be adjusted. j The present invention comprehends not only a'di'sconnectib'le connection atthe bends in theplow beams but onethatis readily disconnectible and-readily adjustable in such a 'way-as-to' enable different widths of plow bodies 'to'be attached tothe beams so as to Space them the P p r ce apart for plowmgidlfiereht' Widths of furrow gi l nst ad f OImGCt-ing the rearcurved ends 7 V of the plow beams direct-lyjto'the plow bodies, these curved ends are. made shorter than usual "and provided with a plurality of holes '20,

three being shown in the present instance.

7 I 7 connecting pieces. straighten out the beamsibut there is often a twisting straintothe right or left. Plows of this type are'usually drawnby a tractor which has a relatively large tractive effort-so that if the plowshould strike such an ob- Curved connecting pieces, indicated generally by the reference numeral 21, are attached to the plow beams by means of bolts 22 that pass through holes 23 in the connecting pieces and the corresponding holes 20 in the plow beams, the contacting faces of the beams and connecting pieces'being flat. These curved connecting pieces have the same radius of curvature as the curved ends of the plow beams as'illustrated' in Fig. 1' where one of the connecting pieces is shown disconnected 1 an the other connected. The connecting pieces are bolted securely to the sides of the curved ends of theplow beams'and th s con nection is such that the plow beams are really strengthened owing to the fact that there are two widths of metal at the curve instead of one. The curved connecting pieces assist the curved ends of thebeams inresisting twisting strains and likewise assist the beams in resisting the strains tending to straighten out the curves, the'three bolts that hold the con-, necting pieces and the beams together being sufficiently strong and-being spaced at such the bodies are connected to plow beams, the

plow bodies being disconn-ect-ible from the Threeztypes of connecting pieces are used as shown in Figs; 2 and 7, inclusiveand these will be referred to by individual reference numeralsln' order to distinguish them from one another, the -ieces being referred to ge'n- 1 orally by the re erence number 21 in 1. The first type, which'is show'nin Figs. 2

' and 3, is a left handconnecting piece 31 hav ing a left-hand ofiset 32and'a' bottom portion3 3. The'portion 31 has three bolt-holes j 3 1 and the portion 33 has three similar bolt 'holes35.

The second connecting piece, shownin Figs.

three bolt holes 38, and a curved lower end 39 provided with bolt holes 40.

' The third connecting piece,which isshewn in Figs. 6 and 7 is a rlght-hand connecting piece llhaving a right-hand offset {12 and. a curved lower end 43. The portion 41 has three bolt holes 44 and the lower end has three similar-bolt holes45. i

'7 It willbe evident that the connecting pieces maybe attached to either of the sides of the plow beams and this'fact,;combined with the fact'that the right, left andstraight'connect.

ing pieces may be interchangeably used enablesja -large number of combinations te'be 4. and 5, is a straight connecting piece'33'ha'ving a curved upperfend 37 provided with obtained some of which are illustrated in Figs. 11 to 20, inclusive.

lVhen two plow beams are used they are ordinarily spaced 14 inches apart and such spacing has been illustrated in Figs. 11 to 20, inclusive. The spacing of the beams is the same in each of said figures.

Fig. 12 illustrates two -inch plow bodies connected to the plow beams to take a inch cut. In this case arigh -hand connecting piece 41 is used for the left-hand plow body 24 and this connecting piece is attached to the right hand side of the plow beam 1. A. left-hand connecting piece 31 is used with the right-hand plow body 25, and it is connected to the left-hand side of the beam 2. This places the lower ends of the connecting pieces 41 and 31 considerably closer together than the beams so as to set the plow bodies toward one another to thereby enable the 10- inch bodies to be properly spaced on 14 beams to take a 20-inch cut.

13 shows two ll-inch plow bodies connecteo to take a 22-inch cut. In this case a right-hand connectingpiece 41 is used for the left-hand plow body 24 and it is connected to the right hand side of beam 1 the same as in Fig. 1 but a straight connecting piece is used for the right-hand body 25 instead of a left-hand connecting piece as in Fig. 12. The use of a straight connecting piece spaces the right hand plow body 25 to the right about an inch so as to locate said plow. body properly relative to the ll-ineh plow body 24 which is 1 inch wider than the 10-inch plow body of Fig. 12. This spaces the plow bodies properly for taking a 22-inch cut.

it is not always necessary to use ll-inch plow bodies to plow a 22-inch cut as 10-inch plow bodies may be used with practically the same eiiicieney. If 10-inch plow bodies are used they are connected to the beams the same as in Fig. 13 in which eventthere would be about a. 1-inch space between the righthand edge of the left-hand plow body 24 and the left-hand edge of the right-hand plow body 25 but this is so small that the soil would be turned over by the action of the left-hand plow body. In other words, the 10-inch plow body 24, will, in effect, take a 11-inch cut under the conditions named. The right-hand plow body would, in such event, be guided so that its right-hand edge would be about 1 inch inside the furrow wall.

.ight-hand connecting piece 41 the same as V in the examples heretofore illustrated and the right-hand plow body 25 is connected to its plow beam 2 by a left-hand connectpiece 31 the same as in Fig. 12 except that the connecting piece is connected to the righthandside-of the plow beam 2 instead of to the left-handside as-in Fig. 12. This spaces the 12-inch plow body two inches farther over to the right than the plowbody'of Fig. 12 and allows for the two inch increase in width in the 12-inch plow body 24.

Fig. 15'illustrates two 13-inch plow bodies connected to takea 26-inch out. In this case the left-hand plow body 24 is connected to its beam 1 by a right-hand connecting piece 41 but the right-hand connecting piece is attached to the left-hand side of the plow beam 1 instead-of the-right side. This spaces the plow body 24 further to the left as against the examples of Figs. 12 to 14, inclusive. l he right-hand plow body 25 is connected to its beam by a straight connecting piece 36. This spaces the two plow bodies three inches farther apart as compared with the spacing of Fig. 12, two inches being obtained by attaching the left-hand connecting piece 41 on tl e right-hand side of the beam 1 and one inch being obtained by using a straight connecting piece 36 for plow body 25.

Fig. 16 illustrates two 14-inch bodies connected to take a 28-inch cut. In this case, the left-hand plow body 24 is connected to the beam 1 by means of a right-hand connecting piece 41 attached to the right-hand side ot-the plow beam 1 the same as in Fig. 15 but the right-hand plow body 25 is spaced over one inch to the right by the use of a left-hand connecting piece 31 attached to the right-hand side of the beam 2.

F ig. 17 shows two 15-inch plow bodies connected to take a 30-inch cut. In this case the left-hand plow body 24 is attached to the beam 1 by means of a left-hand connecting piece 31 attached to the left-hand side of the beam. This spaces the plow body 24 considerably to the left and the right-hand plow body 25 is attached to its beam 2 by a straight connecting piece 36. 14-inch plow bodies can be used instead of 15-inch if desired under the same conditions as explained.

for the 11-inch plow bodies of Fig. 13.

Fig. 18 shows two 16-inch plow bodies attached'to take a 32-inch cut. In this case the left-hand plow body 24 is attached to the beam 1 by a left-hand connecting piece 31 attached to the left-hand side of the beam the same as in Fig. 17 and the right-hand plow body 25 is spaced one-inch to the right as related to F 17 by the use of a righthand connecting piece 41 attached to the lefthand side of the beam 2.

Fig. 19 shows two 17-inch plow bodies connected to take a 34-inchcut. In this case the left-hand plow body 24 is attached to the beam 1 bya left-hand connecting piece 31 the same as in Figs. 17 and 18 and the righthand plow body 25 is spaced one inch farther to the right than in Fig. 18 by the use of a straight connecting piece 36 attached to the right-hand side ofthe beam 2. If preferred,

- 16-inch plow bodies may be used in thiscase under the same conditions 'asexplained for the 11-inch plow bodies of Fig. 13.

Fig. shows two 18-inch plow bodies connected to take a 36-inch'cut. In this case. the

left-hand plow body 24 is attached. to the plow beam 1 by a left-hand connecting piece .31 attached to the left-hand side of the beam --1 and the right-hand plow body 25. is spaced one inchfarther to the right than in Fig. 19

l by the use of a right-hand connecting piece 41 attached totheright-hand side of the beam 2.

Other widths of plow bodies and other combinations and-arrangement of connecting pieces can be used, it being. clear that, I

with three kinds of connecting pieces that maybe attached to either the inside or the outside of the-beams the-plow bodies may be spaced at varyingdistances apart tosecure proper positioning for various widths of -plow bodies.

The rear furrow wheel 26 is automatically positioned. properly relative to the plow bodiesin allcases becauseitis removably attached to'the side of the plow bodies instead of to the plow beam as is usually the case.

While quite a large number of diiferent widths ofplow bodies have been shown in Figs... 12 to 2-0 inclusive, it is not necessary for a farmer 'tozjhave all these widths of bodies, It is usually-sufficient if he has a setjof, 14-inch and a set of 18-inch bodies.

Byvarying the relativerposition of the 14- inch plow bodies they can be used for cuts from 20 to inches in width. For cuts under 28 inches the paths of the 14-inch plow bodies can be made to overlap while for a 30- inch out the gap between the bodies is only 7 one in'chj 1 In likefmanner, the 18-inch bodies tion in width of cut may be obtained in like ed-to. itslp'low beami2-by a left-hand-connecting piece .31; attached to the left-hand side of thebeam2.) This spaces the plow bodies can be used'for cuts from 32130 38 inches in width'.'- I V When three plow beamsare .used, a'variamanner, several examples being shown in Figs; 8, 9, and 10."

8 shows three 12-inch plowbodiescon- .nected to take a 36-inch cut, the extra plow beam and its plow bodybeing designated as 50 and 51,' respectively. In this case the lefthand plow body 51 is connected to the beam '50 by aVright-hand connecting piece 41 at tached to the right-handside of the beam- The middle plow body 24 is connected to its beam 1 by a right-hand connecting piece41 attached to the left-hand side ofthe beam-1 and the right-handplowbody 25 is connectapart properly to take a 36-inch cut with no space left between the plowbodies.

, Fig. 9 shows three 13-inch plow bodies connectedtotakea 39-inch cut. In this case the "left-hand 'plow-body'bl is attached to its plow. beam 50' byaright-hand" connectingpiece 41 butthe connecting piece is attached to the left-hand side'of the beam 50 which spaces it two inches farther to the left than in Fig; 8. I The middle plow body 24 isconnected to its beam '1 by a straight connecting piece 36 which spaces it one inch farther to the left than in Fig. 8. The right-hand plow body 25 is connected to its beam 2 bya left- I hand connecting piece 31 attached to the lefthand side of its beam 2 the same as in Fig.8. This arrangement puts each of the plow bodies next to the other'so that each takes a 13-inch out without any space between thefurrows. v

connected to takea 42-inch cut. In this case the left-hand plow body 51 is connected to its beam 50by a right-hand connecting piece41 attached to the left-hand side of its beam the same asin Fig. 9. The middle plow body 24 is spaced one inch farther to the right by the use of a right-hand connectlng piece 41 used as a snikylp low th'atisi'as a plow having only one plow body.

Although different widths of plow bodies maybe used, the advantage of the novel connection; as far as using asingle plow'body is concerned,.isgnot so much in thefact that different widths of =plow bodies may be usedas it is in the fact that-a gang plow maybe converted into a sulky plow by simply disconnecting one of the connecting pieces and removing-one of the plow bodies. In'an' ordinary plow such as the plow shown in the Boda patent heretofore referred to, it would be possible to take off one of the plow bodies but the plow beam F 10 shows three 14-inch plow bodies.

would project .so close to the ground as to dig into itand strike obstructions so as to interfere with the eihcient operation, of the-plow.

In the presentconstruction no such action occurs because the end of the plow beam is relatively high abovethe ground. 1

It will be readily appreciatedthat by the use of these simple-connecting pieces an almost infinite variety of adjustments may be jobtained so thatthe widthof the plow. may be varied with n wlde ranges-and this may befdone very quickly and easilyby disconnecting one set of plow bodies and, attaching another -with the appropriate connecting pieces. These connecting piecesbeing simple metal bars with holesin them-are relatively A inexpensive so that a farmer may havea good supply of them to enable him tousev any type desired. Instead of having to buy 'a new plow when he wants to plow furrows of H different widths'it is merely necessaryto have V different widths of plow bodies, all of which 7 5 may be attached to the same beam structure, ground wheels, lifting mechanism, etc., thereby avoiding duplication in the purchase oi the most expensive part of the plow. The improved construction not only reduces the cost to the consumer, namely the farmer, but it reduces manufacturing costs in that the same results are achieved with less material and labor. Also it enables a tractor to be used in the most economical manner for plowing.

Viewed broadly, an economy is etfected in that the same results are accomplished in plowing by the use of an implement having less material and workmanship on it than with a corresponding number of plows that would be required to perform the same operation. In other words less steel, less tab-rication effort, less transportation of steel and finished goods, less storage space, and less investment in plows and parts are necessary without sacrificing eiliciency in the performance of the required work.

It is to be understood that the construction shown is for purposes of illustration and that variations may be made in it without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A plow having a plow beam provided with a downwardly curved rear end, a curved connecting piece detachably connected to the side of the curved portion of said beam, and a plow body detachably connected to said connecting piece.

2. A plow having a plow beam made of a fiat metal bar of rectangular cross-section, said beam being positioned with its greatest width in a substantially vertical plane and having a downwardly curved rear end, a connecting piece made of a metal bar of rectangularcross-section,saidconnectingpiecebeing bent edgewise and being detachably connected to the side of the curved portion of said beam, and a plow body connected to said connecting piece.

8. A plow having a plow beam provided with a downwardly curved rear end, a connecting piece carrying a plow body, and means for detachably connecting said connecting piece to either side of the curved end of said beam to vary the position of the plow body relative to said beam.

4. A plow having a plow beam provided with a downwardly curved rear end, an offset connecting piece carrying a plow body, and means for detachably connecting said connecting piece to the curved portion of said plow beam on either side of the latter to vary the position of the plow body relative to the plow beam.

5. A plow having plow beams spaced at a fixed distance relative to one another, said plow beams having downwardly curved rear ends, curved connecting pieces carrying plow bodies, and means for detachably connecting said connecting pieces to the curved ends of said beams on either side thereof whereby the spacing of the plow bodies relative to one another may be varied.

6. A plow having plow beams spaced at a fixed distance relative to one another said plow beams having downwardly curved rear ends, curved otlset connecting pieces carrying plow bodies, and means for detachably connecting said connecting pieces to the curved ends of said beams on either side thereof whereby the spacing between the plow bodies may be varied.

7. A plow having plow beams with downwardly curved rear ends spaced at fixed distances apart, plow bodies for connection to the curved ends of said beams, and connecting means for detachably connecting said plow bodies to said curved ends, said connecting means being so shaped and the connection to the beams being such that the position of the plow bodies relative to the beams may be varied laterally in both directions from a central position.

8. A plow having plow beams spaced at a fixed distance relative to one another, said plow beams having downwardly curved rear ends, curved connecting pieces carrying plow bodies, some of said connecting pieces being fiat and others being offset, and means for connecting said connecting pieces on either side of the curved portions of said beams whereby a wide variety of spacing of the plow bodies may be obtained.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

JOHN P. SEAHOLM. 

